Spreading the word about local food: Cloverbelt Food Cooperative charts new path across northwest.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: DRYDEN-SIOUX LOOKOUT

The social and economic benefits of growing and buying local food continues to be the mission of Cloverbelt Local Food Co-operative.

The popular and award-winning Dryden-based co-op is in the process of developing a food charter for the Kenora and Rainy River Districts.

With the help of a $65,000 grant from the provincial Greenbelt Fund, four part-time coordinators were hired to help facilitate that, beginning in April.

The not-for-profit group boasts a growing stable of 130 producers and 1,400 members.

Producers list online what's in stock and members log in to make their orders. Food baskets are dropped off weekly at distribution depots in Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Ignace, Upsala and Kenora.

Very shortly, the network will be expanding to the Rainy River district and Thunder Bay, which has a food charter.

The northwest charter is meant to support the advancement of policies that will back local food projects.

The initial plan was to establish a food charter for Dryden but interest came from other communities like Kenora to be included, according to Cloverbelt president Jen Springett.

"With everything happening in Sioux Lookout with the regional food distribution centre project (to serve remote First Nation communities) and a lot of farming in Rainy River, we' reached out to those communities to be included," said Springett.

"We recognize rural communities have different needs than the city. We're more remote with smaller towns and to undertake a charter on our own is not very realistic. We thought a collaborative approach would be most beneficial."

The food charter not only educates and increases awareness of locally grown and produced food, but should boost Cloverbelt's membership and is a good way for Cloverbelt to gather some ground-level intelligence on what are the needs, priorities and visions of local food in these rural communities.

Springett said some enthusiastic regional development officers in these districts view this kind of collaboration as an exciting opportunity to see what can be accomplished in the agricultural sector.

Despite the 2016 closure of the Clover Valley Farmers Market in Fort Frances, Springett said there remains significant interest among local farmers to reconnect to that lost consumer base.

It's particularly impacted the Rainy River District Regional Abattoir, which is operating at 25 per cent capacity, said Springett.

"That's a scary situation because if that infrastructure is lost it's going to have a very...